If someone from the 1950s suddenly appeared today, what would be the most difficult thing to explain to them today? (80's, economic)

[j_k_k]

Originally Posted by STB93

To expand on the question, while there are a lot of obvious differences between now and 1950 in terms of technology, culture, etc., I wonder which changes or new things they'd grasp easily and which would be utterly perplexing.

This is not original to me, but it's the best answer I've yet seen for this question:

"I carry with me a device that lets me access the accumulated mass of human knowledge. I use it to play Scrabble, argue with strangers and look at pictures of cats."

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by Cheektowaga_Chester

Not sure if I agree with this. In fact, I think more likely the opposite. How many high school kids in the 1950s took calculus as compared to today? AP courses?

Lots of kids took advanced math courses and got early acceptances into college. I don't remember if we had AP but we had honors classes.

It's more than just that, it's the dumbing down so that everyone can be the same, so that everyone can go to college. Then when they get to college they often need remedial classes. It's dumbing down of how to write a sentence or a paragraph or spell a word. It's lack of knowledge about history and geography. Music, the arts. If you notice what they show on tv today compared to the quality even back in the 70s when the 50s kids would have been in school learning, tv today is trash. Kids who grew up in the 50s wouldn't put up with that.

I don't know if it's true but if you believe what you read on CD, the kids aren't being taught about compound interest or how to save money. We had all of that in about 4th grade. We also were taught to be skeptical about magazine ads and tv commerials--I think that was around 4th grade too.

It's a lot more that's been lost. Everything is technology and games now, it seems.

[bavariantransplant]

English as a second language.

[Stereotypical Black Man]

Black man.. Sitting.. With us????

[58Belvedere]

I think a '50s time-traveler to here would quickly ask "Where the HELL are such basics as:

Men in white shirts, narrow ties, and high-hitched pants. And shoes. And short, combed, slicked back hair. And sweaters at home. And women in pleated skirts. And shoes. And calling teenagers "fast" or "square" or "with it, daddy-o."

"Hep." "Hep cat." "All hepped/hopped up."

Home-cookin' other than predominately casseroles based on onion soup and canned tuna fish and baked ham in gooey sweet glazes and pineapple chunks.

Jello molds

Lucky Strikes, Old Golds, Pall Malls, Viceroys, and when Marlboros were a woman's cigarette

Brylcream

Burma-Shave signs

Forlorn "Indians" beside trinket-selling "trading posts"

King Whiskey

Drive-in movies

Hudsons, Studebakers, Packards, Plymouths, DeSotos, Nashes, Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs, Mercurys, Imperials, New Yorkers, El Caminos, Rancheros, Comets, Valiants, Darts, TorqueFlite, Hydramatic, Merc-O-Matic, Breeze-way Windows

S&H Green Stamps

TVs made in America

The layaway department

Fuller Brush & Encyclopedia Britanica salesmen

Kids in cuff-rolled dungarees

Trusting white men wearing horn-rim glasses, lab/doctor coats, and a clip board when they told you that Camels were good for your "T-zone" and DDT was your friend

Downtown movie houses, department stores, streetcars, soda fountains, Five and Dimes

Commercials touting Simonizing car wax and Sanforizing shirt pressing

The suffix "O-Matic" added to most gizmos, as in Juic-O-Matic, Turn-O-Matic

Vast national audiences tuning into the same TV shows

Bras that made breasts look like weapons, or parts of massive chrome bumpers

Trusted newscasters

Believed Presidents

Push-button car transmission controls

Equating liking Lena Horne with proving your un-racist credentials

Saying "A chinaman's chance" to mean a remote possibility

Showing how deeply you felt something by how well you bottled it up inside, and teaching your sons to do the same

Expecting women to dramatically perform emotions

Expecting blacks to be grateful for you respecting any degree of their humanity & rights

Believing that, if we could only survive The Atomic Age, America and the world would continue to progress."

[Chango]

Where are all the Jet packs?

Where is your robot maid?

Why do you people think all that old Victorian and Craftsman junk is so cool?

You make cars that look like they can fly... but they dont. WTF?

WTF does WTF mean?

Russia is our ally?!! Japanese stuff is cool???!!!

Yep... Dubstep is exactly what I thought future music would sound like.

Where are all the skirts and why doesn't anybody wear a hat in public?

Explain again... HOW much is a Trillion?

That's really keen that you made a negro president and put some women in high places too... but why don't y'all care what all your government is doing? Have you ever even BEEN to a city council meeting?

What's up with all the empty churches?

Why don't kids play outside?

Lots of married people DON'T have kids?! What's the point of getting married then?

You pay WHAT for a gallon of gas?!

You mean I DON'T have to hide my drug, alcohol and pornography habit anymore?

[TwinbrookNine]

Oh...and this one: I live in a major city and I pay $80 a month for television containing reruns and infomercials.

[Teddy52]

don't football players play both ways anymore ( Chuck Bednarik )

[travric]

The mainstreaming of malevolence.

Interesting one! I'd have the feeling it would take 50's individuals a bit to 'adjust' to our society now. I'd say the notion of 'convention' and 'conformity' and the kind of historical opinion that goes around these days would seriously challenge their mindset. They'd probably be baffled at the sarcasm aimed at them for believing in mom, apple pie, the suburbs and red and white tablecloths and why they disliked communists, beatniks and movies showing hints of sex .Don't worry people would let'em know it!.....;-)....

[Old Gringo]

Why so many good-paying jobs have been sent to communist China.